Western Springs set to transform into the heart of Pasifika

Auckland’s iconic Pasifika Festival will transform Western
Springs into a vibrant heart of Pacific culture once again
in late March, with new features and shared spaces aimed at
creating an even better experience for the tens of thousands
of festival-goers.

In its 27thyear, this family
friendlyeventbrings together Pacific communities to
celebratediverse cultures of the South Pacific.The
festival is free for everyone,with authentic foods, arts
and crafts stalls and demonstrations, traditional and
contemporary Pacific music and performances.

With more than 200traditional and
contemporaryperformances throughout the two-day event,
festival-goers willexperiencetraditional artforms and
practices from 10 different villages,each representing a
distinct Pacific culture. This year’s event includes
villages fromthe Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Aotearoa,
Hawaii, Kiribati/Tokelau (combined),Samoa, Tahiti, Tuvalu
and Tonga.

This year’s refreshed and
expanded formatincludes the re-introduction of a shared
festival stage in addition to each village’s stage.

The stageprogrammewillbe jam-packed withan
exciting array of headline, international and large group
performances. Festival attendees can expect more
opportunities toparticipate with each of theunique
village experiences, with fale activations programmed
throughout the festival weekend.

ATEED ‘s Head
of Major Events, Stuart Turner says: “Pasifika Festival
brings together thousands of people – Aucklanders,
domestic visitors and international travellers – to learn
about and celebrate Pasifika culture. It is a great
opportunity to tell the story of Auckland’s important
Polynesian heritage, and to strengthen our identity as an
exciting, cultural destination.”

Expect bright
floral arrangements decorating each village throughout the
festival site. In the Hawaiian village people can learn how
to make fresh flower leis, twining greens and weaving
colourful, fragrant flowers together to wear around the
festival. Over at the Fijiian village, there will be
traditional Rotuman garland-making, which can be used for
ceremonial or dancing purposes.

This year marks
the 250th anniversary of Tahitian high priest Tu Paia of
Raiatea Island landing in New Zealand with legendary
explorer James Cook. The village will have a range of
performances and displays to acknowledge this historic
milestone. With a focus on fresh, quality cuisine, the
Tahitian village will showcase the vibrant flavour of its
five archipelagos, preparing fresh coconut milk for people
to feast on.

The Cook Islands village has a
sustainability focus this year, with talks and workshops on
protecting marine life in the Pacific. Its street
vendor-style food trucks will keep hungry people happy with
popular traditional dishes including curried octopus (eke),
marinated raw tuna, and pancakes.

An exhibition
of traditional wedding and funeral attire will adorn the
fale walls of the Tongan village this year. Nearby, visitors
will be able to experience a traditional cava ceremony.

The festival will proceed rain or shine. Attendees
are encouraged to prepare according to the day’s weather
forecast. There are many public transport options available
to and from the festival location at Western Springs.
Further information on bus and train schedules can be found
via aucklandtransport.govt.nz.

Vector Lights
will light up the Auckland Harbour Bridge to celebrate
Pasifika Festival. This is part of a smart energy
partnership between Vector and Auckland Council in
collaboration with the NZ Transport Agency, the guiding
light toward a smart energy future. For more information,
and to listen to the sound track, visit www.vector.co.nz/lights.

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